On December 13th, VdA hosted the Conference “The Contribution of Business Foundations to the implementation of the SDGs” in its Lisbon auditorium, promoted by the Portuguese Foundations Center and GRACE – Reflection and Support Group for Corporate Citizenship, with the support of CEIIA - Center of Engineering and Product Development and the Vasco Vieira de Almeida Foundation.
The conference, involving international players, sought to raise awareness of the role of Business Foundations in the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda, a common mission that requires the commitment of the various stakeholders of our society.
Vasco Vieira de Almeida, founding partner of Vieira de Almeida & Associados (VdA), welcomed the participants, followed by Margarida Couto, GRACE's President representing VdA, and Maria do Céu Ramos, President of the Portuguese Foundations Center, who opened the ceremony.
Stephanie García Van Gool, Director of Impact Measurement and Strategic Development at Fundación Microfinanzas BBVA, presented the mission and work carried out by the Foundation operating in America, supporting 2 million people in a situation of vulnerability and need.
Maria Folque, Senior Consultant and Pro Bono Manager at VdA, moderated the panel on “Corporate management and foundational management in the implementation of the SDGs” with the participation of Célia Inácio, Chairman of the Board of Ageas Foundation, Eugénio Leite, founder of Eugénio Leite Foundation, and Sophie Faujour, Head of EVPA France and European Corporate Initiative as speakers.
The second panel, on "Innovation and technology at the service of the SDGs", was moderated by Alexandre Pinho, Microsoft’s Global Lead for the United Nations, with the participation of Gualter Crisóstomo, CEiiA Organizational Sustainability Director, Joana Balsemão, City Councilor Municipal de Cascais and Tiago Silva Pereira, CEO of WYZE Mobility as speakers. The ceremony was closed by Luís Amado, Executive Director of B Lab Portugal with the motto "Foundations to power!", as they are the key-holders capable of taking risks, changing and having an impact in the world.